lucrative
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lucrative
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English lucratif, from Middle French, from Latin lucrātīvus “gainful,” from lucrāt(us) “profited” (past participle of lucrārī “to make a profit, gain by economy”; see lucre) + -īvus -ive
Explanation
Use lucrative to refer to a business or investment that makes money. While your parents might want you to pursue a lucrative career, you're committed to your plan of becoming a professional mime. This adjective is from the Latin word lucrum, meaning "profit." In Latin, lucrum also meant "greed," a negative sense preserved in the English phrase filthy lucre, or "shameful profit or gain." But the word lucrative doesn't carry a similar sense of shame — if your lawn-mowing job proves lucrative over the summer, you might be able to buy yourself a used car.
Vocabulary lists containing lucrative
Grade 10, List 2
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Hidden Figures
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Fast Food Nation
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But as chipmakers plough resources into lucrative HBM, shortages of the less flashy memory chips in everyday consumer electronics are pushing up prices, with Apple hiking the cost of its MacBooks and iPads.
From Barron's • Jul. 9, 2026
The most accessible and most lucrative fields have largely been drained.
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026
Analysts led by Kristine Liwag pointed to Rocket Lab’s push to diversify beyond launching rockets, opening up lucrative new opportunities.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 8, 2026
Finding the content business more lucrative than any career he could expect in academia, he dropped out of school last year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
On one occasion, after he failed to appear for several potentially lucrative races, his agent found him starring in a bull-riding exhibition.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
